at all, Mr. Killibrew. It's a question of the white race and
the black race. The particular feature I am working on is the wages paid
to cooks."

"I didn't know you were a cook," interjected the grocer in surprise.

"I am not."

Mr. Killibrew looked at Peter, thought intensely for a few moments, and
came to an unescapable conclusion.

"You don't mean you've formed a cook's union here in Hooker's Bend,
Peter!" he cried, immensely amazed.

"Not at all. It's this," clarified Peter. "It may seem trivial, but it
illustrates the principle I'm trying to get at. Doesn't your cook carry
away cold food?"

It required perhaps four seconds for the merchant to stop his
speculations on what Peter had come for and adjust his mind to the
question.

"Why, yes, I suppose so," he agreed, very much at sea. "I--I never
caught up with her." He laughed a pleasant, puzzled laugh. "Of course
she doesn't come around and show me what she's making off with. Why?"

"Well, it's this. Wouldn't you prefer to give your cook a certain cash
payment instead of having her taking uncertain amounts of your
foodstuffs and wearing apparel?"

The merchant leaned forward in his chair.

"Did old Becky Davis send you to me with any such proposition as that,
Peter?"

"No, not at all. But, Mr. Killibrew, wouldn't you like better and more
trustworthy servants as cooks, as farm-hands, chauffeurs, stable-boys?
You see, you and your children and your children's children are going to
have to depend on negro labor, as far as we can see, to the end of
time."

"We-e-ell, yes," admitted Mr. Killibrew, who was not accustomed to
considering the end of time.

"Wouldn't it be better to have honest, self-respecting help than
dishonest help?"

"Certainly."

"Then let's think about cooks. How can one hope to rear an honest, self-
respecting citizenry as long as the mothers of the race are compelled to
resort to thievery to patch out an insufficient wage?"

"Why, I don't suppose niggers ever will be honest," admitted the grocer,
very frankly. "You naturally don't trust a nigger. If you credit one for
a dime, the next time he has any money he'll go trade somewhere else."
The grocer broke into his contagious laugh. "Do you know how I've built
up my business here, Peter? By never trusting a nigger." Mr. Killibrew
continued his pleased chuckle. "Yes, I get the whole cash trade of the
niggers in Hooker's Bend by never cheating one and never trusting one."

The gr